My Cause
by Orijin
Summary: When Aiya Sinel, a fifteen year old Pokemon trainer, is kidnapped by Team Rocket her new friend, Jacob Hash-who also has a not so secret crush on her-will do anything he can to save her. What he doesn't know is that Aiya wasn't really kidnapped.
1. Prologue

**My Cause**

**Prologue:**

A soft tune filled the peaceful forest air with a sense of deepest calm. The girl emitting it was walking cheerfully on the beaten path that was the quickest and easiest way to the other side of the wood. Her light blue hair danced merrily behind her as her ponytail swung back and forth. Though the day was sunny and cloudless, the air was chilly and the girl's long-sleeved red shirt under her white t-shirt was proof of this. Her fair cheeks were flushed slightly from the cold but her breath did not show in the air which meant it was not too cold for a pleasant hike through the woods.

Of course, to anyone with eyes it would be obvious that this girl was probably not simply out for a stroll. Her jeans fit snuggly so the belt around her waist was unnecessary and the six small, red and white balls clipped neatly to it were the best sign that she was a trainer. This wasn't anything unusual, but it was still useful information for any other trainers looking for a battle.

As it happened, this girl was one of those trainers. She had been traveling through the wood for a day already and thus far had not met any other trainers. She had thought sticking to the path would be the best way to find some, but it seemed that luck just wasn't with her. Plenty of Pokemon, the forest was filled with them, but no trainers. None that weren't newbies, anyway. Being fifteen, she had no desire to test her skills against a ten year old with a baby Pokemon. It wouldn't be fair to the kid or their Pokemon and would be a waste of skill on her part. She had long since passed the point where she needed to battle babies to win.

"Hey there, wait up," a deep male voice brought the girl from her thoughts. She turned her bright crimson eyes on him then smiled and paused. The boy, whose hair and eyes were both a rich brown, was wearing a trainer's belt.

"Hello," her voice was light and slightly accented, which, apart from the slightly slanted shape of her eyes, was the only sign that she was not native to the region she was in.

The boy grinned as he approached. "Odd for a pretty girl like you to be wandering on your own. You up for a battle?"

Her cheeks became a slightly deeper red but she smiled and nodded. "Glad you asked. I've been looking for a battle for some time." She offered her hand, which was half covered by the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing, to him, "I'm Aiya Sinel; it's a pleasure."

The boy took the offered hand and shook it politely. "The pleasure's all mine, Aiya. I'm Jacob Hash. Now, how 'bout that battle?"

"I'm ready when you are." Aiya removed one of the six Pokeballs from her belt and stepped back, holding it ready.

"Good, be ready, I'm a very experienced trainer." Jacob unclipped a similar red and white ball from his belt and took a step backward as well. "Here we go, I choose Starmie!" A flash of white light burst from the ball as Jacob tossed it easily into the air. The light twisted for a moment then took the shape of an eight-pointed star shaped Pokemon and became solid, purple spreading over the Pokemon's body and a red gem taking form in its center.

"Interesting, but Starmie is no match for my Ampharos!" There was another flash of white light and the large, skinny, yellow and black electric Pokemon took form as its trainer caught the Pokeball that returned after releasing its charge.

"Type advantage won't win you this battle. Oh yeah, if you don't mind, this'll be a simple one on one battle. Sound good?"

"That's fine with me. If you don't mind, I'll start this. Ampharos, Thunderpunch!" Electricity sparked from the red orbs on Ampharos's tail and head. In response to its trainer's call, it leapt forward, pulling its fist back as electricity gathered around it.

"Rapid Spin; deflect the attack!" Starmie leapt into the air and began spinning. Ampharos was thrown backwards, the Thunderpunch attack failing to cause damage.

"Thunder Wave!" Ampharos regained its balance quickly and sent a wave of electricity at Starmie who attempted to deflect it with Rapid Spin. The move failed and Starmie was sent to the ground, weakened.

"Not bad, but it'll take a lot more than that to beat Starmie. Recover!" The water type was surrounded in white light as its energy returned.

"Thunder!" The blast came so fast that Jacob was stunned, but nowhere near as stunned as his Starmie. "Thunderpunch!" The second try worked perfectly. Starmie was sent flying into a nearby tree while electricity coursed through its body, cracking the red crystal in its center.

"What the…Starmie, you okay?" The injured Pokemon flashed the red crystal in its center once or twice before fainting. "Return." Jacob held up his Pokeball and watched as Starmie vanished in a flash of red light. "Whoa, just whoa. You're an amazing trainer!"

"Thank you. I've had a lot of practice." Aiya grinned and rubbed the back of her head as she blushed. Ampharos made a similar gesture before being returned to its Pokeball. "Do you want me to escort you to the Pokemon Center? You're Starmie can't battle at the moment…"

"Don't worry. I have five other Pokemon to take care of me. Charizard, Pidgeotto, Dewgong, Seaking, and Vaporeon."

"Oh, I have a Charizard too! So, it sounds like you like water types, am I correct?"

"Right on the money, Aiya. Still, even with my team I might not be able to make it through the forest unharmed. Starmie wasn't my strongest, but it was my first and bravest. I think I'll take you up on your offer."

Aiya gave a smile that hinted at slyness, but said nothing to convey the fact that she knew he needed no help getting to the Pokemon Center. "All right. I'd like the company anyway. Perhaps when Starmie's healed it can battle against my Charizard. Or maybe we can battle Charizard against Charizard."

"Sounds good," said Jacob airily, beginning to walk down the path. "So, where are you from? If I had to take a guess, I'd say Johto."

"You're guess is right. I am from Johto. Ecruteak City, to be precise."

"That certainly explains your accent and appearance. So what brings you to Kanto?"

"I hope to challenge the gym leaders of this region and enter the Indigo League."

"A fine goal," said Jacob in an approving voice. "If you need any tips I'd be glad to help you. I've entered the Indigo League once already."

"Really?" asked Aiya, clearly very interested, "How did you do?"

"Not bad, but not great. I made it passed my first battle easily but the second one didn't go so well. I came close though."

"Do you plan to enter it again?"

"Sure do. I'm gonna win it this time!"

"You have to get past me to do that," Aiya stated airily. "I already have three badges and I'm confident I'll win my fourth in the next city."

"You're going after the Earth Badge, then. The city after this forest is Viridian. Did you know that already?"

"I'll admit, I didn't."

Jacob chuckled, turning cheery eyes on Aiya. "The leader there is powerful, but with a good strategy he can be beaten. A good team helps too."

"What's his name? If I can do some research on him before I battle then I'll have a better chance of winning."

"Giovanni, I think. Odd guy. He likes to stay in the shadows when he battles and he doesn't stand in the arena either. Prefers to look down from a balcony. Arrogant prick, I bet he just doesn't wanna risk getting hurt!" He laughed at this.

Aiya smiled but didn't laugh. She was apparently too busy thinking. "Stays in the shadows and battles from a balcony? What kind of trainer does that?"

"The cowardly kind."

"Perhaps. Or maybe it's got something to do with his strategy. Interesting."

"Don't think too hard on it. It's an advantage, as I see it. Slower reaction time. Anyway, here we are."

The two stopped, Jacob smiling over at his new companion who was observing the city happily. Tall buildings and many smaller ones spread for at least a mile. The Pokemon Center wasn't visible from where they stood but hardly anything else was. They were on the very outskirts where a few small buildings and police station stood.

"Come on," said Jacob, brushing Aiya's arm to get her attention. "I'll lead you to the Pokemon Center. It's near the center of the city."

Aiya followed his lead without question, her eyes bright with happiness. "This place is so cool!"

----

Nurse Joy greeted both trainers with a bright smile and polite greeting when they entered and was perfectly willing to heal their Pokemon when asked. "They'll be fully healed in no time. Do you plan to stay the night?"

"Yes, please," said Aiya promptly. "I need a good night's rest like my Pokemon if I plan to beat the gym tomorrow."

"All right, here's a key. Enjoy your stay and be sure to explore the city some."

"I will! Thanks."

Jacob continued to grin, accepting another key from Nurse Joy and disappearing into the hall that held the many rooms for passing trainers. Aiya followed him and emerged a short while later without the backpack she had been carrying. She paused to examine a map of the city pinned to the Center wall then skipped out of the Pokemon Center.


	2. Chapter 1: Closed!

**Chapter 1: Closed?!**

Aiya was up at sunrise the next day and already finished with her breakfast when Jacob emerged from his room. "Morning, pillow head!" She called cheerfully as she passed him in the dining area.

"You're way too cheery way too early," he grumbled, sulking over to a table and picking up a menu.

"Oh well," she grinned at him and skipped off to meet Nurse Joy and get her Pokemon.

"They're fighting fit. Good luck with your gym battle today. I think you'll do great."

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!"

"Hey, w-wait up. I'll come with you." Jacob emerged from the dining area, yawning.

"Don't be silly. You're not even fully awake yet! And there's no way you ate that fast."

"I'm not hungry."

"Suuure, or is it that you just want to tag along with me to wish me luck. Hoping for a good luck kiss, maybe?"

"Don't be stupid," said Jacob, turning a deep red and turning his nose up at her.

Aiya giggled. "Go eat. I was planning to talk to Professor Elm before I set off anyway."

Nurse Joy placed a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh as Jacob slipped back into the dining area to eat. She winked at Aiya who grinned back at her and walked over to the video phones lining the wall.

"Hello?" Professor Elm's voice sounded tired but fully awake, meaning he hadn't just woken up.

"Professor, did you sleep at all last night?"

The screen flashed and Professor Elm appeared, grinning rather sheepishly. He had deep purple bags under his eyes. "Hello, Aiya. Nice to hear from you again."

"Don't change the subject," said Aiya in a mock cross voice. "What are you working on that prevents you from sleeping?"

"I recently discovered that Cyndaquil has the ability to turn the flames on its back into smoke!" the Professor said excitedly, "I've been up all night writing up my findings. I don't think it's all Cyndaquil, though. Just some. I've tested it quite extensively and it seems to only occur in younger Pokemon. I feel the reason for this is simply a loss of control or inexperience, but I may be wrong. I don't have access to many young Cyndaquil at the moment so I can't see if it's all of them or just the ones here. But the evidence I have compiled so far leads me to believe…"

"Umm, Professor, that's very interesting and all, but, I wanted to ask you something. Professor? Professor? Huboy." Aiya allowed her head to drop as she shook it, smiling in spite of herself. It was always hard to talk to Professor Elm when he was like this.

"He sure can talk." Jacob cocked his head to one side as he watched Professor Elm ramble on and on about his new findings.

"You have no idea."

The appearance of a new face finally made Professor Elm pause. "A friend of yours, Aiya?"

"Yeah," she replied quickly, glad for the distraction. "This is Jacob Hash."

"Good morning, Professor."

"Ah, new boyfriend of yours?"

"No," Aiya's annoyed expression and dry tone made Professor Elm grin.

"Not yet, you mean. Well, I'll let you get on with your business. I still have a lot of work to do. Later."

"Oh, wait, Professor, I…" but he had hung up. "Oh well, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less when I saw him so tired." She sighed and turned off the video phone then stood up and stretched. "At least I learned something mildly interesting about Cyndaquil. Come on, you wanted to escort me to the gym, did you not?"

"You're quite capable of finding it on your own, are you not?"

"Of course, but you seemed so eager to help I thought I'd let you."

Jacob hid his grin and shrugged. "Well, since you're so eager for my company, I suppose I could walk with you."

----

The Viridian gym was a proud display of architecture at its best. A grand stone building with pillars and carvings of rare and powerful Pokemon gave the place an almost royal feeling. Gigantic wooden doors guarded by two equally large men holding spears gave the impression of much power and wealth. This was obviously not a place to take lightly.

"Um, hi," said Aiya nervously, staring up at one of the guards. "I'm here for a gym battle."

"Entry not granted," the huge man grunted.

"Why not?"

"The gym leader has stepped out for the day. The gym is closed. Come back tomorrow."

"Closed?! That's not fair! How can a leader desert his post?"

The guard gave her a hard look then grunted again. "He's got just as much right as you to wander around. Now, get lost."

"Hmph." Aiya turned, her ponytail whipping around behind her as she marched away.

"Don't worry about it. This just gives you more time to research the gym leader, right?"

"I suppose so. It's still not fair."

"He probably knew you were coming and ran off in fear."

This brought a laugh from both of them and they decided to explore Viridian's many shops for a while. Jacob soon regretted this as Aiya proved to be a great lover of shopping and dashed from store window to store window, praising the merchandise within and squealing with delight whenever she came across a particularly fascinating item or article of clothing.

After a few hours he was thoroughly exhausted and thinking longingly of the Pokemon Center, not sparing this piece of information from Aiya.

"But there are still so many places to go!"

"I thought you wanted to research Giovanni. Shouldn't you get started? You don't know how long it will take."

"I guess you're right," she complained, looking longing at the row of shops still unexplored. "We can come back later."

"I look forward to it."

"Liar."

"You must be psychic."

----

"This is no help! It just has a picture of the gym leader and the badge. It doesn't say what Pokemon he has or what his battle strategy is like. A nice short biography, though. I guess those guards aren't there to look pretty. They must stop reporters or researchers from watching the battles."

"No surprise. They don't even let more than one trainer in the gym at a time."

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"That sucks." Aiya ran a finger absently over her face as she read the short biography on Giovanni. It was hardly informative. Age, status, much praise, nothing useful. "Shame. This is the best page I could find. Maybe Nurse Joy would know something. She treats the Pokemon that battle in the gym."

"I'm afraid I can't help you very much." Nurse Joy shook her head as she approached the two trainers. "All I know is the ones that lose are hurt in varying degrees of severity. It depends on how strong they are and how well trained. From what I hear from trainers, Giovanni doesn't use just one type of Pokemon like most of the gyms. And he has a great variety so there's no way to know what he'll use."

"Actually that helps me quite a lot. It'll put me on my guard."

Joy smiled in a tired way and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm glad I could be of some help. If you don't mind though, I plan to lock the doors soon and it's late. You need a good night's rest if you plan to win."

"It won't matter if he's not there again," Aiya muttered irritably, but she turned off the computer she had been using and stood up. Stretching and jumping from one foot to the other to get her blood flowing again, she headed towards her room. "If he's not there tomorrow I'll challenge one of his cavemen instead."

Jacob chuckled at this last utterance and followed her.


	3. Chapter 2: Theft

**Chapter 2: Theft**

Aiya was woken very early the next morning by a shout from the room across from hers. She leapt out of her bed and pulled open the door, still in a loose tank-top and pajama pants. "What's going on?"

"Charizard, Dewgong, they're gone!" Jacob's wild eyes flashed to her, his expression desperate.

Aiya overlooked the fact that he was in nothing more that boxer shorts and gaped at him. "What do you mean gone?"

"Gone! Disappeared! Vanished! Stolen!"

By this time most of the trainers in the Center were awake and emerging from their rooms. Several darted back into their rooms to check their own Pokemon. Aiya followed their lead. She snatched her trainer's belt and noticed immediately that one of her Pokeballs was missing. "Ampharos!" She shouted, dropping to her knees and looking around the floor.

"What's going on?" Nurse Joy's voice sounded anxious as she hurried into the hall in a light pink dressing gown.

"My Pokemon were stolen!" Jacob sounded quite hysterical by this time. "Charizard and Dewgong!"

"My Ampharos is gone too!"

"Mine are all here," shouted a young trainer, emerging from his room and looking relieved.

"Mine too," said a girl with bright red hair; apparently unaware that she was in nothing but underclothes.

"Mine are in recovery. I don't know if…"

"Chansey's been guarding recovery," said Nurse Joy quickly to the black haired boy who was dressed similarly to Jacob, "she would have come to me if there were any Pokemon missing."

"None of mine are missing," came a muffled voice from inside the room beside Jacob's.

"They must have only gotten theirs. Mine are still where I left them," a second girl, this one with blond hair and more appropriately dressed, looked concernedly over at Jacob as the older boy leaned against the wall for support.

"I can't find my Raichu's Pokeball! Oh, it's here."

"No one would bother stealing mine; I only have a Bulbasaur and a Rattata..."

"Everyone, please!" The hall quieted at Nurse Joy's cry. "Now, let's get our head's on straight. Who, apart from Aiya and Jacob, are missing Pokemon?" There was no reply. "Okay, that's a relief. Now, did anyone see anything strange last night? Or hear anything? Anything at all?" Again, there was silence. "All right, we need to call Officer Jenny."

----

Aiya and Jacob–now wearing his usual khakis–were questioned for about half an hour about their Pokemon. Jacob was fighting hard to stay calm while Aiya seemed to be in a state of shock and was answering in a very bland voice. Eventually Jacob cracked and starting shouting at Officer Jenny who didn't protest.

"This isn't helping," was all she said, and it was enough.

"What can we do?"

"Nothing at the moment, Aiya. We'll do everything we can to catch the criminals. All the other trainers are being searched as we speak and the cameras are being checked. If anyone entered by the doors or windows we'll know soon enough."

"What about the cameras in our rooms?"

"There are none."

"There should be! What if they came through our windows?!"

Aiya placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, his brown eyes blazing, then faltered. Aiya's eyes were shining but she was fighting hard against the tears. "Please stop shouting, Jacob. It's not doing us any good. We have to trust the police know what they're doing. They'll sort this out."

"Thank you, Aiya. I promise you we'll do everything we can." Officer Jenny stood up and saluted them both then walked off, leaving them alone to talk.

"We can't just sit back and wait for them to give us news!" Jacob hissed angrily.

"I know. And we won't."

He stared at her. "You mean…"

"Yeah. Let's get dressed. We have a lot of work to do."

Neither Officer Jenny nor Nurse Joy said anything about Jacob and Aiya leaving the Center, fully dressed and carrying all of their belongings with them. They simply pretended not to notice but discussed their feelings and doubts afterwards. Neither trainer was fooled.

"They think we don't have a hope of finding them," Jacob pointed out, glaring back at the Pokemon Center.

"I have to admit I don't think our chances are very good, but we have to try. Like you said, we can't just sit around waiting."

Deciding where to start was difficult. The sun was only a glimmer of light on the horizon and shed a dim glow over the city. It wasn't much, but at least they didn't have to search in the dark. Their first plan was to retrace their steps from the day before to see if they could find a clue as to who the thief was. Though he said nothing, Aiya knew that Jacob was angry with her. If she hadn't gone to so many places they wouldn't have had such a hard time.

"If I had known," she began, giving him a pleading look.

"I know," was his reply.

They were only half finished when they stopped for a break. For some reason, retracing their steps was far more tiring than simply darting around all over the place. Lack of sleep and worry didn't help. The sun was high in the sky now and people were walking up and down the sidewalks, heading for work or doing some shopping. A line of kids laughed as they scampered across the street, obviously heading to school.

They set off again. The cold of the morning was only noticeable by their breath rising in steam around their heads. Neither seemed bothered by it. They discussed using their other Pokemon to help them search but they didn't want to risk losing them. Instead they stopped a few people here and there to ask them if they had noticed anything odd recently. No one had.

----

By noon they were ready to give up. They had completely retraced their steps from the day before and more and still had no leads. It seemed that whoever the thief was, they were very good at covering their tracks.

"We might as well go back to the Pokemon Center. Maybe they've found something."

Aiya bowed her head and replied in a low voice, "Ok."

Dejected, they walked slowly towards the middle of the city where the Pokemon Center was located.

"Hey, kids, over here." They turned. A man wearing an officer's uniform beckoned to them from an alley.

"What is it?" asked Aiya quietly.

"There are some odd tracks over here. I think it may be a lead."

Both trainers perked up at once and hurried over to him. "Where are they?" Jacob demanded excitedly.

"Back there. Near the back wall. And if you look closely you'll see marks. They're fresh. A Pokemon I think."

Jacob and Aiya hurried over to examine the marks on the wall. There were faint scratches, as if something had climbed up it and slipped then climbed back up. There were also light prints in the dirt. "These are from Pokemon all right. The only question is, which one?" Aiya placed a hand on the wall and frowned at it. Jacob knelt down to stare at the tracks. "Perhaps it was…" she was cut off as a force struck her hard in the back of the head. She let out a little surprised gasp and fell to the ground.

"What the?!" Jacob jumped to his feet and tried to turn but a moment later was struck and fell.

"Foolish kid, fell right into the trap."


	4. Chapter 3: Success

**Chapter 3: Success**

Jacob opened his eyes slowly. He was lying on a soft bed but his head throbbed horribly. He groaned and turned over. The memory of Aiya and the alleyway hit him and sat up quickly. His vision spun and he gripped his stomach, leaning forward as he tried to fight off nausea.

"Don't sit up so quickly." Nurse Joy's voice was full of concern and worry. "Lie back."

"Aiya, I have to talk to her. Someone set us up!" He looked up and saw Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny exchange a look. Feeling his heart skip a beat, he looked around. He was in the Pokemon Center, in the room that was usually used for Pokemon who were badly injured. Apart from a few Pokemon, he and the two women were the only ones there. "Where is she?"

"We don't know. We found you and one of our officers unconscious in an alley. There was no sign of Aiya."

"No…she's been kidnapped!"

"We concluded as much. By whom we don't know."

"But…but why?! Why would they take her and leave us?!"

Officer Jenny sighed. "Because she's pretty, she's strong, and she's a girl."

Jacob felt the world falling out from beneath him. He leaned over the side of his bed and retched.

----

Aiya groaned as she opened her eyes and sat up. She lifted a heavy hand to her head and winced. "I'm gonna kill him. Couldn't let me pretend, could he? Had to knock me over the head so that I passed out. When I get my hands on him…"

"Calm down, Aiya. Gregory only did what he had to do. Besides, there might have been cameras around. Wouldn't have looked very good if you got up and walked away. We had to knock "Officer" Terk out as well, though I doubt that's any consolation."

"Damn right it's not. I'm gonna have a head ache for a week!" She turned to glare at the dark haired man grinning at her on her right. He was sitting in a chair against the wall with his legs crossed and his arms folded. He was dressed in black from head to toe. The only exceptions were white gloves and boots with a red stripe on each, a white belt, and a large red R on the front of his shirt. "I thought you hated that uniform."

"I do," the man replied calmly, "but I thought it'd be a good idea to let you know who I was, just incase Gregory knocked you senseless."

Aiya swore. "Watch it, Geoff; I'll beat you to a pulp. The only reason I don't take a swing at you now is lack of energy."

"Exactly what I was counting on." He smiled and stood up. His sharp, slightly slanted red eyes gleamed with amusement as he surveyed her. "So, apart from getting knocked silly, how did you do?"

"Like you don't know already," she muttered, turning to lift the bag next to the bed she was on.

"To be honest, I don't. They wanted it to be a surprise."

"Tch." She reached into the backpack and removed two Pokeballs. "Here, a Charizard and Dewgong. Not brilliant but I haven't seen either in action. I assume they're worthy of a little credit."

"Perhaps. We won't know until we see them in battle, though. Come on, gotta go give a report to the boss."

"Why don't you do it? My head's still pounding."

"Nope, wasn't my catch. Besides, walking will do you good. Now, up."

Aiya swore again but heaved herself out of bed. Her head let out a throb of protest but she ignored it. Tugging on her shoes with one hand and gripping the two Pokeballs she had taken from Jacob in the other, she headed for the door. The man called Geoff walked beside her. Though she knew he knew better than to help her, she knew he'd catch her if she staggered or fell. It was a comfort of sorts but it also annoyed her. She hated having to rely on others. And this wasn't even her fault.

As they walked, Geoff started up a list of questions which she answered without enthusiasm. "Full name?"

"Aiya Kantrez Sinel."

"Hometown?"

"Ecruteak City."

"Starter Pokemon?"

"Sneasel."

"Nickname?"

"Core."

"Reason for joining?"

"Felt like it."

"Well, you don't seem to have any memory loss. What's fifty times sixteen?"

"Eight-hundred."

"Thirteen plus seven?"

"Twenty. Try something harder."

"Negative ninety-four minus thirty-six."

"Negative one-hundred and thirty."

"Name five animals that start with the letter b."

"Bird, bore, bear, bug, boy."

"Yep, you're definitely not brain damaged. Not any more than usual, anyway."

"Shut it. You're not one to talk. What are we doing here?" She glanced around the corridor they were in. It was the sleeping quarters.

"You have to look nice and pretty for the boss. Go clean up and put your uniform on."

"If I weren't still tired…"

"I know, you'd beat me to a pulp. Off you go."

Aiya gave him an evil glare then disappeared into her room. She took a very quick shower and dried herself just as quickly. She then pulled a uniform similar to the one Geoff wore except it consisted of a short dress and long white gloves and boots. She transferred her Ampharos's Pokeball to her belt and clipped it around her waste. Checking her reflection in the mirror on the wall she grinned. "Not bad for someone who's just had their skull bashed in," she murmured as she exited the room.

Geoff gave her an appraising look then asked, "Head feel better?"

"Slightly."

He didn't seem to expect anything else and set off again, Aiya following. She felt much better than she had before but she'd never tell him that. He knew of course, but she didn't care. This was how it always was and how it would always be.

They reached their destination at last and Geoff stood just inside the door while Aiya approached a large television screen mounted on the wall. The room was rather unremarkable apart from this screen, which was fine as it had only one purpose. "Giovanni, sir, Aiya here to report."

The screen lit up and a man's face appeared. He was wearing an orange suit with a red tie and was stroking a Persian with a ringed hand. His hair was short, clean cut and dark brown while his eyes were hard, sharp, and black as night. He allowed a faint smile to cross his features as he looked her over. "You look well, Aiya. I had thought you might show signs of the pounding you took from Gregory."

"It'll take a lot more than a blow to the head to get me, sir," she replied calmly.

"That is good. Now, give me your report."

"I was successful in capturing two Pokemon from a trainer, sir," she said promptly. "One Charizard and one Dewgong, both presumably well trained as one of the boys weaker Pokemon had decent strength stats."

"Very good. Next time, however, I would appreciate it if you would not cause a bother in Viridian. It's hard enough running a gym here. Also, I wish to know why you only took two if the boy had more."

"Forgive me, sir, I shall avoid it from now on." She bowed before speaking again. "I took the two I thought most useful. Two others were stone evolution so their stats were likely to be lower than they could have been. The other two were common and not worth the effort of stealing."

"So you chose the two that would be most profitable to Team Rocket? Both in strength and worth?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I would expect nothing less from you. Once you have recovered from your last capture I will send you a new mission. I think you will find this one enjoyable."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." She bowed again as the screen flashed and became blank.

----

"Here," Aiya tossed the two Pokeballs she had taken from Jacob at one of the grunts in the lab for processing before heading to the gym to work out. The grunt merely nodded and turned to place the Pokeballs into a tube that would transport their data into a computer then display it on the screen. Aiya glanced back to check the readings and was satisfied she had made a good choice in her capture.

She, along with Geoff, was an elite member of Team Rocket which meant she didn't have to bother with the tedious work of training and analyzing stolen Pokemon. The rank didn't mean much to either of them as both would have been just as useful as lower class members because of their skill and talent. The only good it did them, in their opinions at least, was it gave them the chance to work more difficult assignments and earn a much nicer salary.

As she approached the locker rooms where she would change into clothes that were more suited for working out in, a rough, male voice called out to her. "'Oy, Nightmare, how are ya?"

Aiya turned around and slammed her fist into the man's face. He fell back, rubbing his jaw and looking nervous and apologetic. "You're lucky I didn't hit you harder, Gregory."

"I'm sorry, Nightmare. I just did what I was told to do." Gregory's speech was uneducated and slightly slurred from the injury to his jaw he had just sustained.

"Yes, well next time think about that before whacking me over the head like that!"

""Ey, at least I didn't hit ya as hard as I hit that boy. I gave him a kick in the side after he were out too. Don't be too hard on me."

Several people who were working out were grinning at Gregory's fear. The sight was funny as Gregory was twenty-three and Aiya was only fifteen. None of them would dare say it to her face though. Aiya was not known for patience or tolerance and she was a lot stronger than she looked.

"It doesn't matter if you cracked his skull; it has no effect on me. What does affect me is the lump on the back of my head that caused me to be unconscious for much longer than I would have liked. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some training to do." She marched passed him before he could say another word and vanished into the locker rooms.

Her locker was no different than anyone else's but long years of experience meant she could find it with her eyes closed. The same was true of the combination which was completed in ten seconds. She changed quickly and left again. She always did things quickly when she was in the base. Why was a mystery even to her because outside she liked to take her time. It was probably due to the training she had received when she first joined and it would probably be the way she acted for the rest of her Rocket life.


	5. Chapter 4: A New Mission

**Chapter 4: A New Mission**

Jacob was unable to leave his bed for three days after being attacked. The whole time he demanded information on his Pokemon and on Aiya's whereabouts but no good news came about either. The only thing the police could tell him was that the thefts had probably been committed by Team Rocket, the largest and most famous gang of Pokemon thieves in the Kanto region, and that the kidnapper might be them as well. There had been no video cameras in the alley where they were attacked and none nearby. No cameras elsewhere had caught sight of the kidnapper.

"Check them again, then. They had to run past at least one of them!"

"Not true. There are plenty of places where there are no cameras. Stop lights and some shops are the only places cameras usually are. It would be easy to find a path around them. And there's always the chance they used a flying or psychic Pokemon to escape. It's a lot easier than people think to avoid detection."

"So the kidnapper could be anyone who knows the city well enough to avoid all the cameras? Or anyone who owns a flying or psychic type Pokemon, right?"

"Yes. And that means that just about everyone in the city is a suspect. And you have to think about probability. What are the chances the kidnapper and thief are even still in Viridian? What are the chances the two are related? What are the chances…well, the chances that Aiya is still living?"

"Don't say that! Just because she was kidnapped doesn't mean she was murdered!"

"I know that, Jacob, calm down. I'm just trying to tell you everything so that if the worst comes to worst you'll be at least a little prepared for it."

Jacob turned his head away from her. He was silent for a long while before eventually asking, "Well, what are the chances?"

"I'd say about forty percent."

"That she's dead or alive?"

"Dead."

_The odds are with her, at least._ He thought miserably. In the short while he had known Aiya he had grown very fond of her. Apart from having amazing battle skills, she was a fun person. She lived in a world full of happiness and laughter, even if things weren't going her way. She was tough and didn't care about speaking out against those stronger than she was. The fact that she was pretty and seemed to have an interest in him made it even worse.

"I'm going to find her."

Officer Jenny, who had thought Jacob was finished talking and had decided to leave him to his thoughts, turned. "What?"

"I'm going to find her. I'm healed enough to walk. I still have four of my Pokemon and I know they'll help me. I don't care how far I have to travel or how hard I have to fight, I'll find her and save her."

She stared at him. "Jacob…" she began, but a gentle hand on her shoulder silenced her. Nurse Joy shook her head and looked at Jacob.

"I hope you find her. I wish you all the luck the world has to offer."

"Thank you, Joy. I know I'll need it."

----

"I can't believe I got assigned to this mission. He said it would be enjoyable, not annoying!"

'You could always run off and never go back.'

"No chance, Vulcan. And don't give me another lecture. I know you don't approve of my career choice."

'That's a bit of an understatement,' the Charizard grunted.

"Just keep flying. Not that you'd stop now, but I felt like reminding you."

Vulcan snorted, a puff of smoke escaping from his nose. They were flying over the ocean heading for Hoenn. Aiya was absolutely right in saying that he wouldn't stop flying because if he did he'd fall into the water and probably die. He often wondered if that wasn't why Aiya had chosen him to be her Pokemon when she stole him from Professor Oak's lab as a Charmander. He knew better of course, but the thoughts still came.

"What are thinking about?"

'What makes you think I'm thinking about anything?'

"You don't drop subjects just like that unless you get distracted." Aiya's voice had humor in it, as well as the smallest amount of kindness.

'Just wondering if you didn't choose me because you knew you'd have an advantage over me.'

"Don't be stupid. I chose you because you were going to evolve into the most useful Pokemon of the lot."

'That's what you tell your teammates, anyway.'

Aiya grinned. She'd never admit to anyone but Vulcan why she had chosen to steal a baby Charmander from the lab when there were so many other Pokemon she could have had. That had been a long time ago so no one ever asked anymore.

'Sometimes I get the impression you couldn't care less what happens to me. Or any of the team, for that matter.'

Aiya recognized the meaning of team to this time mean her Pokemon. "You know that's not true. But I think the term you're looking for isn't care, it's respect. Isn't that why you and the others listen to me? Why you haven't run away. You know I wouldn't try to stop you. I could easily get another Charizard or a new Pokemon to replace any of you. Probably stronger, too, and trained not to complain so much."

'Yes, and I also know that's why you allow us so much more freedom than the other Rockets would. Respect. We respect each other on equal levels, and it's the highest kind. But, if something were to happen that put my life, or any of their lives, in danger, would you try to save us?'

Aiya didn't answer. Instead she thumped him on his scaly neck and told him to hurry up and stop saying stupid stuff. He obeyed, but only reluctantly.

----

"Welcome to Petalburg City traveler, are you here to challenge the gym leader?"

"No, thank you. I'm just passing through."

"All right then, but you're given up the chance for a mighty fine challenge."

"I know, but I'm just not interested."

"Suit yourself."

Aiya frowned as the man turned and sauntered away. _Why would anyone try to force someone to battle the gym leader? It doesn't matter how strong the leader is, there's always someone who can beat 'em. People don't understand that, I guess. _She gave a little shrug and continued on her way.

"Have you seen this girl anywhere?" Jacob held up a picture of Aiya he had gotten from Officer Jenny.

The light haired man he was asking looked at it and chuckled. "Sorry, no. Did she run off and dump ya?"

"No! She was," he stopped and bit his tongue to stop him from saying what he wanted the say.

The man laughed and waved an arrogant hand at him. "Listen youngin', you can't go chasin' after a girl if she don't wanna be with ya. Just let her go and move on. Dwellin' on the past will only give ya more heartache. Take it from a man who's been there." He gave Jacob a kind pat on the shoulder before walking off.

"I'm not surprised he's been there," Jacob muttered angrily, wheeling around and walking away irritably.

He had been searching for two days and hadn't found any clues that might lead him to the person who had kidnapped Aiya. He planned to visit the gym later to ask the gym leader for help. He didn't like that guy much but he felt that a powerful ally wouldn't be a bad idea. He might be a lot of help if he ended up going against Team Rocket.

Deciding that it was pointless to continue pestering the people on the street, he steered his steps towards Viridian gym. He was only a few blocks away.

The sight of the grand stone building made his heart fill with sadness. Aiya had been about to challenge that gym. What would have happened if it hadn't been closed? Aiya's Ampharos probably wouldn't have been stolen. It would have been in recovery along with her other Pokemon. Would she still have been kidnapped then? There would have been no reason for her to go with him when he set out to search for the thieves, but maybe she would have come anyway.

"What do you want, kid?"

Jacob jumped. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and had nearly walked into one of the thuggish guards standing outside the door. He took several hasty steps backwards. The guard looked to be in a bad mood and he didn't want to test him. Those spears weren't toys.

"I wanted to talk to the gym leader," he said quickly, tripping over his words a bit.

The guard scowled at him then nodded to his partner and stepped aside. "You're to wait in the arena. Venture elsewhere and you'll be thrown out."

Jacob gulped and nodded before entering. He doubt their version of thrown out would be telling him to leave or escorting him to the door. It would probably involve pain and several broken bones.

The inside of the gym was just as he remembered it. A large arena with a door at one end and a balcony over looking it. It was dimly lit but provided plenty of light to see by. It had a creepy feeling while at the same time radiating the same kind of power the outside gave. The only thing that was different from his previous visit to the gym was the lack of a gym leader sitting in a chair on the balcony.

That changed quickly as a man in shadow entered through a door Jacob couldn't see. He stared down at him for a long moment then seated himself in his chair. "Welcome trainer, how can I help you today?" The man's voice was colorful and cold, full of hidden sarcasm and arrogance.

"I, uh, wanted to ask for your help. See, a few days ago two of my Pokemon were stolen as well as one of my friend's. When we went looking for them we were both knocked out and she was kidnapped. The police say the thieves were probably Team Rocket and the kidnappers might be the same and I'm a good trainer but I could never take on Team Rocket by myself. Could you, maybe, help me?" He spoke fast, spilling everything out at once and faltering as he finished. He couldn't see much of the man's face but he could have sworn the guy was smiling.

"Stolen Pokemon and a kidnapped girlfriend, eh? That does sound like a problem. But what makes you think I could take on Team Rocket any better than you?"

"Well…because you're the gym leader." The words sounded very lame, and lamer still because he had defeated this gym himself not all that long ago.

"True, I am. This, of course, means I'm a strong trainer, probably with many powerful Pokemon on my side and the resources necessary to call on more help and perhaps even a large scale investigation. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, I won't lie, those things are true, but I doubt I'll be much help. The police have been to me many times asking for assistance with Team Rocket and I haven't been able to do any more than them. However, I shall lend you my help, at least to help you find your friend."

"Wha…you will?" He was stunned. The way the guy spoke and that amused smile, he had been sure he was going to tell him to scram. Now a sense of glee filled him and he bowed. "Thanks a lot! I owe you." He turned and practically skipped out of the room.

The man's smile deepened. "Yes, you do, Jacob."

----

Aiya's sharp, crimson eyes were narrowed as she watched the small party of people walking below her. It was comprised of four members of varying ages. One was a small boy with dark blue in green shirt and black shorts; one a young girl in red with light brown hair; one a taller boy with dark skin and dark brown hair; and a boy in blue with messy black hair covered by a red cap. Her eyes traveled slowly over the group, stopping to fix on the boy with black hair. She'd heard a lot about this kid. She'd have to be careful.

Her eyes moved from the boy's face to the creature perched cheerily on his shoulder. This was her target. Her mouth twisted into a cruel smile as she looked at it. The Pokemon's yellow coat was shiny and well groomed and its red cheeks were bright and deep, indicating good health and better strength. For three years a group of fumbling Team Rocket members had tried to capture this Pokemon and failed. Three years of potentially useful talent wasted. Now it was her job to end the charade and she knew exactly how she'd do it.


	6. Chapter 5: Meeting the Gang

**Chapter 5: Meeting the Gang**

Ash and his three friends made camp in a small clearing deep in the forest they had been traveling through all day. It was a quiet place and also one that was unlikely to be discovered by Team Rocket. Running into them every week or so made it hard for the group to relax, so a quiet resting place was perfect.

As Brock, the oldest and best cook of the group, began to set up his pot to make the evening meal, Ash and Pikachu wandered over to watch May practicing moves she planned to use in her next contest with her Squirtle.

"All right, now use Bubble!"

"Squirtle!" A cloud of bubbles filled the air, sparking in the dim light of the clearing.

"Water Gun!"

Squirtle leapt into the air and fired several rapid-fire Water Gun attacks, bursting all of the bubbles and making the air sparkle with water droplets. Ash, Max, and Brock clapped enthusiastically as May and Squirtle both did a little spin and bowed.

"You're sure to win the next contest you enter, May."

"Thanks a lot, Ash. We've been practicing really hard. Right Squirtle?"

"Squirtle!"

May laughed lightly and gave her Pokemon a hug before allowing to run off and play with Max.

Dinner was ready in a fairly short amount of time and all four had just sat down to enjoy another excellent meal by Brock when a scream shattered the silence of the forest. All four jumped to their feet and looked wildly around.

"What was that?"

"Sounded like someone's in trouble."

"There's no time to lose. Come on!" With Ash in the lead, the group ran in the direction of the scream.

----

"Any news yet?"

"No, Jacob, please stop asking. I've told you a hundred times already, we'll call you if something comes up."

"I know, I know, I just…I'm worried. It's been nearly a week since she was kidnapped!"

"I know, Jacob, believe me I know. We have everyone working on the case, like every other day. We're even in contact with Giovanni who called us to say he would help in any way possible. You just have to hang on until we can find something. Aiya's strong; she'll be fine for a while longer at least. Why don't you go take a rest? You haven't slept in ages."

"Only thirty-six hours, and I've stayed up loads longer than that when…"

"You haven't slept in two days?!" It was Nurse Joy. She marched over and seized Jacob's upper arm. "Off to bed with you, now."

"But…"

"No buts! March!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Ash and Pikachu were the first ones to arrive on the scene. Both were panting hard but they sprang into action as soon as they saw what was going on. A girl was sitting on the ground looking terrified. Standing in front of her was a severely injured Sneasel and bearing down upon them both was a vicious and very angry Mightyena.

"Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!"

"Piiiiiiiiikaaa chuuuu!" A blast of electricity hit the black and grey dog and sent it sprawling to the ground. It struggled up, growling in hatred, and turned to leap at Ash and Pikachu.

"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" A blast of water from the small turtle Pokemon sent the Mightyena to the ground again. It stood again, trembling, and stared in hatred and fear at the group. It knew defeat, however, and ran off into the trees.

"Are you all right?" asked Ash in concern, walking over and offering a hand to the girl on the ground.

"Yes, I think so," the girl replied in a lightly accented voice, taking the proffered hand and allowing Ash to pull her to her feet. "Thank you, I thought we were finished." She turned to the injured Sneasel and smiled, her crimson eyes full of concern. "Are you all right, Sneasel?"

"Sel," the Sneasel replied weakly, giving its trainer its version of the thumbs up.

"What happened?"

The girl turned back to Ash and looked aside. "It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and accidentally trod on one of its pups. It was just defending its child." She sighed and knelt down to stroke her Pokemon, her light blue hair blowing gently in the wind. "I need to get you to a Pokemon Center, Sneasel, you're pretty beaten up." She looked again at the group, "Do you any of you know where the nearest Pokemon Center is? I need to…"

"Don't worry about a Pokemon Center!" The exclamation came from Brock who bounded over to the girl, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "I have plenty of healing items with me and with a dose of famous Brock Soup you're Sneasel will be good as new in no time!" He took both of her hands in his and gave her a charming smile. "Such a beautiful girl like you should get only the best. My name's Brock by the way, what's yours?"

"Cynthia," the girl replied, blinking in confusion.

"Cynthia! Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful girl! It's so fitting. Miss Cynthia…"

"Heel!" Max grabbed Brock by the ear and dragged him away.

"Sorry about that," said May apologetically, "he's really harmless, honest. But what he said is true. We have a super potion or two and both of you look hungry. You should have lunch with us. I'm May by the way, nice to meet you." She offered her hand, smiling warmly at Cynthia.

"Thanks, I'll do that. It's a lot faster than going to the Pokemon Center." She took the hand May offered and shook it. "And thanks again for helping me out."

"It was no problem, Cynthia darling!"

"Down!"

Cynthia put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile and followed the group towards their camp.

----

The moment Nurse Joy left his room, Jacob was up again. He grabbed the Pokeballs he had placed on his nightstand a moment before and reattached them to his belt. Listening for any noise outside, he crept to his window and pushed it open. Pausing only to make sure the window was securely closed behind him, he set off.

The city buzzed with noise but he didn't notice. He really didn't know why he didn't just take Nurse Joy's advice and take a nap. He was tired. The only problem was, as tired as his body was, his mind couldn't rest. Aiya was still in trouble and so were his Pokemon. A twinge of guilt hit him when he thought about this. He always asked about Aiya when he saw Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy, but he only sometimes asked about his Pokemon. He cared about them, of course, but Aiya…he just couldn't stop thinking about her. On the rare occasions he could sleep he saw horrible things happening to her. Perhaps that's why he was so concerned. After all, his Pokemon would get a new trainer who wasn't very nice, but they weren't at risk of being killed. Aiya was.

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the Viridian gym. His feet had carried him there without his noticing. _It wouldn't hurt to ask if he's got any news,_ he thought glumly, walking towards the large wooden doors that marked the entrance. The two goons stationed outside gave him a dirty look as he approached and crossed their spears.

"You're not allowed in."

"Why not? I don't want to battle. I just want to ask…"

"The gym leader is not here. He had urgent business to tend to and left."

"Urgent? Did he find a lead? Did he find Team Rocket? Does he know where Aiya is? Answer me, damn it!"

The guards moved forward as one. They towered over him, two hulking giants carrying spears against one unarmed teenager. "He is out. Leave before we are forced to hurt you."

Deciding telling Officer Jenny about this latest news would be a wonderful idea, Jacob turned and ran.

Aiya felt a constant twitch of irritation in her gut as she smiled, laughed, and ate with the small group of trainers. This was caused mainly by Brock's constant proposals of love. They decreased after a while but he kept springing flowers and candy on her at odd moments. She wondered where he got so many roses and why on earth he carried them around. May explained in a quiet tone that he flirted with just about every girl he met.

"Why? He doesn't seriously think every girl will have an interest in him, does he?"

"I doubt it. Or, maybe he does. Who knows? He's done it so many times we've come to expect it."

"Does he ever flirt with you?"

"No. I'm too young."

"Lucky you."

May laughed at this and went back to eating her soup.

When the meal was over, and after Aiya made the mistake of complimenting Brock's cooking and getting an ear full of romance, the group began training their Pokemon.

"Wow, all of your Pokemon are well trained. And they've been cared for really well."

"Thanks," Ash said, grinning as he rubbed Pikachu's ears. "I've worked really hard but I still have a long way to go."

"Do you fancy a friendly match? Sneasel's still recovering so I can't use him, but I have other Pokemon."

Ash nodded eagerly. "Yeah!" He grabbed a Pokeball and moved backwards, readying himself for the battle.

"Great! Ok, I choose Golduck!" She tossed the Pokeball into the air and watched as a large, blue, duck-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light.

"I choose Swellow!" Ash tossed his Pokeball into the air, releasing a large, dark blue bird into the air.

"Golduck, start this with a…wai…hey!" A net flew out of nowhere and landed over Golduck and Swellow. There was a high laugh as both were pulled towards the trees. A moment later a man and a woman appeared, the man holding the net.

"Prepare for trouble!" The woman shouted gleefully.

"Make it double!" Said the man, giving another tug on the net.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within out nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

Only years of self-discipline and hard work prevented Aiya from bowing her head and walking away in shame. These were undoubtedly the two dimwits who had been chasing after Pikachu and messing up Team Rocket's plans for years.

"Team Rocket!" Ash's voice broke through her stupor and forced her to compose herself. She had been standing there with her mouth slightly open, unable to think about anything except the group of idiots that called themselves Team Rocket.

Quickly putting on a look of confusion and anger she asked, "Who are those guys?"

"That's Team Rocket. A gang of no good crooks who are always trying to steal our Pokemon!"

_No good crooks, eh? You've hurt my feelings._ "Well they can't have my Pokemon! Go Sneasel, fury swipes!"

'Gladly!' Core leapt forward and aimed his sharp claws at the net.

"I don't think so!" Shouted Jessie happily, throwing a Pokeball into the air. "Go Seviper! Stop that Sneasel in its tracks!"

"Seviper!" The snake Pokemon let out a vicious hiss as it emerged and lunged at Core.

"While der distracted by Seviper I'll snatch 'dat Pikachu!" Meowth jumped forward with a strange device in his paws. It was a box with a few buttons and a large red hand attached. Obviously no one but Aiya had heard Meowth because they continued fighting Jessie and her Seviper.

_Clever, Meowth, tell them exactly what you plan to do. Brilliant strategy._ "I don't think so! Sneasel, Slash! Break that machine!" Core leapt forward and slashed through the machine then slammed into the surprised Meowth. He paused for moment, his back facing the group of trainers, apparently awaiting his next command, but next second he jumped backwards, revealing a terrified and completely surprised Meowth.

"Thunder Bolt!" Pikachu jumped forward and sent a wave of energy over Jessie, James, and Seviper. The net broke and Golduck and Swellow were free. "Now, send 'em flying with another Thunder Bolt!"

Before Pikachu could strike, Meowth ran forward and leapt onto Jessie's shoulder. Both were completely still for a moment then Jessie gulped and turned to glare at the group of younger trainers. "You won this time but we'll be back!" She grabbed James's arm and ran off with Seviper following.

"Well that was weird."

"Aren't you going to check on your Swellow?" Aiya was already kneeling beside her Golduck, checking him for injuries. "No damage, you're fine, Kao." The last sentence was said in a whisper so that only Kao could hear her.

'What do you expect? Those guys were a joke!'

"Yes, and they give our team a bad name." She stood up and smiled over at Ash. "Thanks. You helped me out again. That's two I owe you now."

"Don't mention it. We're used to dealing with those guys." Ash grinned and rubbed Swellow's head. The bird chirped happily and grinned at Aiya as well.

"You see them often?"

"At least once a week."

"Why? What do they want?"

"Usually my Pikachu but sometimes they try to pull off bigger stuff."

Aiya nodded then frowned and said, "But…I thought the teams in Hoenn were called Aqua and Magma."

"They are. But Team Rocket followed us here."

_Team Rocket, yeah right. If that was all Team Rocket was made of we'd have been wiped out ages ago._ She didn't let her thoughts show on her face but merely shrugged and turned to check Kao again.


	7. Chapter 6: Capture

**Chapter 6: Capture**

"Where are you going, Cynthia?"

"I can't find one of my spare Pokeballs. I think I dropped it when I was attacked by that Mightyena. It wouldn't matter normally but I'm running really low so I need to go look for it."

"Oh, I'll come with you. Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

"It's all right, May. I think I know where it is. I felt something fall out of my pocket but didn't pay attention to it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry; I'll be back before you know it."

Aiya smiled and waved then set off into the trees with Core. Kao stayed behind. He had no interest in facing the group of wanna-be Rockets again and anyway, he was enjoying an excellent snack and didn't feel like doing anything at the moment.

Once they were a good distance away from the camp, Aiya spoke, "Where are they?"

'No idea,' grunted Core. 'Probably hiding in some bushes or something.'

"I heard 'dat ya know."

Meowth stood with his paws on his hips, glaring at Core. Jessie and James hung back a little, staring suspiciously at Aiya.

"Are you sure that kid's who she says she is, Meowth? She doesn't look old enough to even apply for Team Rocket. How can she possibly be the Nightmare?"

"Yeah, how do we know it's not some kind of trick?"

"I suggest you watch your tone around me, dears." Aiya's voice had changed from the light, girly one she used around Ash and his friends to a cold, arrogant drawl. "I can battle you for real, if you like. It won't hurt me at all. You're pathetic Pokemon couldn't defeat a Pidgey, but perhaps that's why you like them so much."

Jessie and James had both balled their hands into fists and were glaring at Aiya in fury.

"Good restraint on your temper at least. Now, let's see," she pulled a notebook out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Jessie, James, and Meowth, lower ranking members but not grunts. Have failed to capture a single Pokemon for three years and have been chasing after Pikachu for the same amount of time. Attempts, giant robots, nets, rubber gloves, glass containers with a light bulb on top," Aiya raised and eyebrow and looked at the group in front of her. "And you wonder why you've failed so often? Have you ever heard of tossing a Pokeball?"

"Listen pipsqueak…"

"Please don't interrupt me, it's rude. Now," she flipped a page of the notebook and continued, "the reason you lot weren't thrown out ages ago is because of your impressive training records. It seems that when you first joined you showed a lot of promise. Even Giovanni was impressed with your efforts during training. If you hadn't gone off chasing after a kid and his electric rat you could have become very successful members. As it is, you are the lowest of the low when it comes to reputations. You're even worse than the grunts."

"That's not true!" Shouted James angrily, trying to grab the notebook from Aiya.

The Rocket merely pulled it aside and James fell. "Perhaps you'd hear about things more if you actually came to base stead of following those kids. Anyway, I'm not here to lecture you. I'm here to clean up your mess. My mission is simple. Grab Pikachu and send you three back to base to be retrained. After that, maybe you can work off some of the debt you owe."

"No! Pikachu is our prize! We won't…"

"Shut it, Meowth. Believe me, there are plenty of other things I'd rather be doing but this is a direct order from the head himself. Now, you lot have a reputation for trying to steal glory from other Rocket members. Seems like you messed up an attempt to catch Lugia a while back. In fact, Team Rocket had the legendary Pokemon and its child locked up but you lot set it free. Now, had you known your antics would screw things up so badly I doubt you would have done it. Nevertheless, I now have to take steps to ensure you don't mess up my plans. I couldn't blame you if you tried. I wouldn't want three years of my life wasted either." A cruel smile crossed Aiya's features as she took two Pokeballs from her belt. "Ryo, Vulcan, do me a favor and watch after these idiots while I catch Pikachu." She tossed the balls into the air and the three Rockets backed away as her Charizard and Ampharos appeared.

'What do we do if they try to run?'

"Simple. Send 'em, how do you guys say it, blasting off again." She smirked. "Have a nice day."

With that she turned and walked away, leaving Jessie, James, and Meowth cowering against a tree as Vulcan and Ryo watched them through narrowed eyes.

----

"Where?!"

"I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Why not?!"

Jacob's shouts had already attracted the attention of many passersby and the officer was becoming more and more uncomfortable with every stare. "Officer Jenny said it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Oh yeah?! And why might that be?!"

"Because you're acting really aggressive lately and we don't want you to fly off the handle and mess things up." Officer Jenny's calm voice made the officer smile in relief. He saluted his higher-up and hurried off. "Come this way, Jacob, you're causing a scene."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where the Rockets are!"

"Then I'll have to place you under arrest."

Jacob faltered. He wasn't sure if Officer Jenny was being serious or not but the threat was enough to calm him, for a moment at least. He turned his head aside and allowed himself to be lead to the Pokemon Center.

----

"Hey, Cynthia, did you find the Pokeball?"

"Yes. It was right where I thought it was." Aiya held up a dusty Pokeball with a smile as she took a seat next to the fire. Kao sauntered over and sat down next to her, licking on flipper in a lazy way. "Hello, Golduck. You look well. Have a good snack?"

'Oh yes. That boy Brock is a wonderful cook. You should take a few lessons from him.'

Aiya smiled a rather forced smile and patted Kao on the head rather harder than was necessary. "That's good. You want to go back in your Pokeball now?"

'No.'

"All right then." She took the water-type's Pokeball from her belt and watched him disappear in a flash of red light. She clipped it back on her belt then looked towards the others. Pikachu was snickering. He had easily understood what Kao had said and was probably aware that Aiya had too. None of the trainers had noticed anything odd, though.

"It's getting late," said Max, looking at the sky and shivering slightly. "We should get moving if we want to make it to the Pokemon Center."

"Don't worry, Max," said May, smiling and turning her head to the sky as well. "We'll camp here for the night. It's much nicer than the Pokemon Center."

"I agree with May," said Ash, lying back with his hands behind his head.

Aiya blinked in slight confusion before turning her eyes to the heavens. The sky was painted a brilliant mix of pink, orange, and gold. Farther from the horizon, the moon was already visible and a single star was twinkling merrily beneath it. It had been a long, long time since she had seen a sunset. She had long forgotten about the sky's beauty and now that she saw it again, she felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. She felt no regret about joining Team Rocket, but how long had it been since her heart had hardened and her eyes become blind to the simple wonders of the world?

"It is very nice. I haven't camped outside in a while. It'll be a nice change. Mind if I camp here for the night, too?"

"Sure. Then, if you want, you can come with us to the next town."

"Thanks, May; I wouldn't mind having some company for a while."

----

Jacob shifted uncomfortably in the vest he was wearing. It was heavy and a little too big for him which made moving awkward. There was also the fact that the straps that held it on had been pulled extra tight to ensure it didn't fall off and were now digging into his skin. He didn't complain though. He knew this was the only way he'd get to help the police tackle Team Rocket and a little discomfort was a small price to pay.

"Now, listen to me. Whatever I say goes. I don't care how much you want to help, if I say run you run. If you disobey any order I will personally knock you out and drag you back to the Pokemon Center. After that you won't be allowed to come on any more missions, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now put on this helmet and stay by me."

He obeyed quickly. The helmet fit better than the vest and made him feel about as cool as any kid wearing bullet proof armor and accompanying a S.W.A.T. team on an important mission could feel. He also felt completely safe and prepared to take whatever Team Rocket threw at him.

Officer Jenny checked the holster at her waste to make sure her gun was secure then placed a helmet over her own head and shouted to the armored squad around them. "Okay everyone, listen up. Our mission is to apprehend the Rockets and recover the stolen Pokemon and, if she's with them, rescue Aiya. We have no other purpose outside the stated so don't do anything you shouldn't. Now, there's no guarantee our targets are among the group we're after but we are to capture them all none-the-less. Do not shoot unless your or one of your comrades' lives are in danger. Got that? Good. Move out!"

The group saluted Officer Jenny and loaded into the large black van parked nearby. Jacob was not allowed to sit in the back with the others but was forced to sit up front with the armed driver. Though unhappy about not being able to listen to the squad's conversation, he didn't object. It was better than not being allowed to come at all.

----

Aiya's eyes opened quickly. The night was silent except for the crackle of the dying fire and the soft breathing of the people around her. She pushed herself up silently and looked around. Ash, Brock, May, and Max were all sleeping soundly. Pikachu was curled up by Ash's head, as deeply asleep as his trainer.

Without making the slightest sound, Aiya lifted her backpack from where it lay and reached inside. She lifted her hand out, a covered syringe gripped between her fingers. A small amount of pink liquid shone inside. She placed this delicately between her front teeth and crawled over to Pikachu. Her breathing was shallow as she didn't want to make any noise that could wake a member of the group.

She reached the yellow mouse at last and took the syringe from her mouth. She slid the cover off the needle and leaned forward. _You won't feel a thing,_ she said in her mind, gently sliding the needle into Pikachu's side. The little electric Pokemon gave a little twitch then fell still. Aiya removed the needle and placed the cover back on it. She then took a black and white Pokeball with a red R on the front from her pocket and held it ready. Then she lifted Pikachu from where it lay and stood up. After retrieving her bag and checking to make sure that none of her Pokeballs had fallen off her belt in the sleeping bag May had leant her, she slipped off into the woods.

Far away from the camp's sight, she knocked the black and white Pokeball against Pikachu's sleeping form and watched with a smile as it vanished inside. Then, still not making a sound, Aiya darted off into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 7: Hostage

**Chapter 7: Hostage **

Jessie, James, and Meowth stood with their backs to the two powerful Pokemon watching them. Ryo had allowed himself to drift into a light sleep and Vulcan was sitting with his tail wrapped around one leg. Both were bored and expected their trainer to be back at any time. Night was always when she struck and she never delayed if she could help it.

"Do ya really t'ink 'dat kid will succeed?"

"No way! We've been trying to capture that Pikachu for years! She may talk all big and bad but she's in way over her head."

"Yes," said James, smiling a cruel smile, "and once she realizes she can't do it she'll come to us for help."

"And 'dere's no way we'll help her! She'll beg us and we'll laugh at her just like she laughed 'dat us, won't we?"

"Oh, I don't know, seems kind of pointless to beg someone for help when I don't need it." The three Rocket's wheeled around. Aiya stood beside Vulcan, twirling a Team Rocket Pokeball on one finger. She tossed it lazily into the air and caught it, grinning.

"Oh yeah?" Jessie snarled, glaring at the girl in front of her. "If you're doing so well then where's Pikachu?"

"I thought that'd be fairly obvious," Aiya drawled arrogantly. She held up the Pokeball.

The three stood speechless, staring at the Rocket marked Pokeball. "How do we know Pikachu's really in 'dat thing?" Meowth demanded, crossing his arms and turning his nose up at her.

"You'll just have to take my word for it. Or you could saunter over to the kid's camp after I leave. Either will do."

"You're bluffing! You just don't want ta admit ya failed!"

"Oh really? Well I see no reason to lie. If your point is to get me to open this Pokeball in an attempt to prove my claims true and risk losing the prize inside, it is not going to work. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go give this Pokemon to the bo…" she paused, glancing at her pocket where a soft ringing was emanating. Frowning, she took a small ear phone from her pocket and placed the receiver in her ear. "Hello?"

"Aiya," said Giovanni's harsh voice, "I have a new mission for you."

"Sir, I haven't completed this one yet. I still need to bring Jessie, James, and Meowth to the…"

"I don't care about those buffoons at the moment!" Giovanni roared at her. "Get back to Kanto immediately. There's an armed squad of police officers heading to one of the Rocket camps outside Viridian. I need you to go there and play the pathetic hostage before they arrive. If they capture our members there's a good chance they'll learn the location of the Viridian base and we can't risk that."

"But, sir, if they're already on their way, how will I be able to get there in time? Even if I teleport…"

"Just do it!" There was a click and the call ended.

"Rash as always. I look forward to the day that changes." She removed the phone from her ear and placed it back in her pocket. She then turned to the Rockets and smiled, "You lot are in luck. I'm needed elsewhere so I don't have to take you back to base at the moment." She took a Pokeball from her waste and tossed it into the air. An Alakazam appeared in flash of light and looked irritably at her. "Don't give me that look, Kine, I need you to Teleport me to a Rocket camp just outside Viridian. Find it quick, if you don't mind."

_I shall do no such thing, Nightmare. I told you not to use me on any of your thieving missions!_

Aiya's muscles twitched as the psychic voice blasted through her mind but her expression didn't change. "I am doing no such thing. This involves no stealing or even harming another person."

Kine stared at her, his body glowing softly. Aiya felt him searching her mind for the truth and she didn't try to fight back. Kine's advanced psychic powers made him impossible to block, anyway.

At last the glow ebbed away and he nodded grudgingly. 'You are being honest, an odd quality in a thief, though not entirely. You have just stolen a young boy's Pokemon. However, I am not assisting your escape as you planned to fly away, nor am I helping you steal it from the trainer. I shall help you."

"Good. All right, Vulcan, Ryo, let's go." She held up their Pokeballs and they gave no objection as they vanished inside. Aiya then turned to Kine and waited, still holding the Pokeball containing Pikachu in her hand.

Kine stood, his eyes glowing. Behind him, Jessie, James, and Meowth were attempting to sneak away. Aiya gave them a jerk of her head as a sign to get lost and they took off. The next second she felt her feet leaving the ground. The world was a swirling vortex of black and many different shades of purple. She couldn't draw breath but she didn't seem to need to. Hours passed in seconds and the next thing she knew she was standing on the edges of a camp filled with people in black uniforms.

----

Jacob fidgeted as the city flashed past the window. He had been sitting in a very heavy silence for nearly ten minutes now. If someone didn't say something soon, his head was going to explode. Much as he wanted to start conversation, however, the man he was sitting next to did not look friendly, and he had a gun at his waist. The combination was enough to make Jacob keep his mouth shut, even at the cost of his own sanity.

"We're nearly there kid, quit jerkin' about."

Jacob jumped, wincing as both his armor and seatbelt cut into his skin. _He talked!_ He thought in amazement. "How far is nearly?"

"Nearly," the man grunted, a tiny grin pulling at his hard features.

"That's a lot of help."

"You smart off a lot, you know that?"

"What? You've only just met me!"

"Yeah, but I've been watchin' ya for a while."

Jacob gave a little twitch. "Why? Are you stalking me?"

"See? There it is again. No, I haven't been stalkin' ya. Jenny told me to tail you and make sure you don't get into trouble."

Jacob stared at him. Then he crossed his arms and turned to stare out the window. "I don't need a baby-sitter. I've been a trainer for six years; I'm not a little kid."

"But you're heartsick and that makes people do stuff they wouldn't usually do."

He had no answer for that and didn't bother trying to make one up. They drove the rest of the way in silence, Jacob thinking about what the driver had said. _Am I really heartsick? I'm worried, I'm angry, I'm scared, but heartsick? Isn't that what happens when someone breaks up with someone else or someone's spouse dies? I've only known Aiya for, what, a week? How can I be heartsick over her?_

His thoughts were cut short by the van coming to an immediate stop. Jacob sat up straight, looking around. They had left the city behind them and where now facing a group of people in black uniforms. Every person in the camp was holding a Pokeball and giving the truck evil stares. On each of the group's uniforms was a large, red R.

Aiya was very irritated by the time the police truck showed up. She had had to throw dirt all over her clothes, smudge her face, and have her feet and hands retied five times because the idiots who tied her up didn't know how to do it properly. Having to pretend to be a sorry little hostage in front of all these grunts was no consolation. She knew they loved this chance to mess with a higher ranking member, especially one as strong and well known as Aiya, or, as they called her, the Nightmare.

"Now you be good," said one grunt called Joshua, "don't struggle and give your boyfriend a kiss from me, ok?"

"You wait until this mission is over, Joshua, I'll knock you out for a week."

"Well worth it, Nightmare." He smirked and moved to take a Pokeball from his belt.

Aiya craned her neck, trying to see over the grunts standing around her. From the sounds and actions of the Rockets, she knew the police van had arrived. She could just make out the shiny black front of the van between the gaps in the group of grunts. Putting on a weak and defeated face, she bowed her head and listened as the doors of the van opened and police officers, probably a S.W.A.T. team, surged out.

"Team Rocket," came the brisk voice of Officer Jenny, "you are all hereby under arrest for various crimes against trainers and the city of Viridian. We have word that you have in your possession three stolen Pokemon as well as a young trainer. Return them all and come quietly or we will take them by force."

"Oh yeah?" sneered Joshua, "What do we get outta that, eh?"

"Lack of physical harm."

Aiya looked up. Jacob wasn't visible from where she was sitting but she recognized his voice easily enough. _My knight in shining armor,_ she thought, grinning in her mind. _What a hero!_

The Rockets laughed and a few tossed Pokeballs into the air. "You couldn't hurt us, boy. Go back to your mommy!" This arrogant drawl came from Steven, another Rocket grunt who loved giving Aiya a hard time.

"I'm not going anywhere until Aiya's safe!"

"Oh? All right then," Steven turned, gave Aiya a grin, then jerked her to her feet. She stumbled as he dragged her forward.

Aiya let out several curses in her mind then, keeping her expression one of fear, she looked around at the group. _Well would you look at that, he really is in armor! He doesn't look quite as impressive as the other officers though. Shame._ The S.W.A.T. team was comprised of twelve members, not counting Jacob, as well as Officer Jenny.

Jacob moved forward, fear and anger etched deep into his face. His features weren't visible under his helmet but his voice was perfectly recognizable. "Aiya!" He tried to move forward but Officer Jenny seized his arm and pulled him back.

"Jacob!" Aiya shouted in a pained voice, hearing the grunts laughing behind her but ignoring them. The acting, though often a bit embarrassing, was the fun part of her job. Usually, anyway. Steven laughed and punched her hard in the side of the face. Aiya let out a little cry as a calm voice in her head said, _Note to self, kill Steven later._

"Hey! Leave her alo…" Officer Jenny pulled him further back and spoke sharply to him. Jacob winced and nodded.

"Let the girl go, Rocket," Officer Jenny said, moving forward once more.

"Make ya a deal," said Steven loftily, shaking Aiya slightly. "I'll give ya the girl, and you get lost. Then stay lost for at least twenty-four hours. If you don't," he grinned nastily, "little Aiya won't be seein' her prince's face again, or any face, for that matter."

It was impossible to see much expression under the helmets the police wore, but it was obvious by their tensing muscles that they were in a very nasty position.

Officer Jenny stared at Steven for a long time, clearly torn between her options. Aiya knew what she was thinking. If they accepted the offer, then she would be safe but Team Rocket would get away. If she didn't, Aiya would most likely be killed. If she told her squad to open fire on the Rockets, Aiya could be killed. There was only one sensible choice to make, but would she make it?

"You win," said Jenny at last. "Send Aiya over and we'll leave."

Steven grinned. "Be good now," he hissed to Aiya, then tossed her roughly forward. One of the S.W.A.T. members hurried forward and helped her to her feet.

The Rockets laughed again as they watched the police help Aiya into the van then drive away. Aiya knew she'd have a hard time living this one down but she didn't care at the moment. Their mission had been completed perfectly. If everything else worked out she would be on the road again in a couple of days and the police would be back to hunting for the missing Pokemon. And as long as Giovanni was the gym leader, they were unlikely to succeed.


	9. Chapter 8: Renewing the Search

**Chapter 8: Renewing the Search**

Aiya spent most of the next day in the Pokemon Center. She had been given a full check-up by Nurse Joy to insure that her injuries weren't serious. After that she had been allowed to rest for the remainder of the day. After a refreshing night's sleep she was taken down to the police station and questioned about her time as a hostage. She was unable to give the police any useful information at the time and was sent back to the Pokemon Center for more rest.

"…and you're absolutely sure they didn't hurt you?"

"Yes, Jacob," Aiya replied in a weary voice, "please, stop asking."

Jacob fidgeted. "I'm just worried. Not as much as I was before, of course, but still worried."

Aiya looked away from him, staring at the wall. "About your Pokemon, right?"

Jacob's cheeks turned faintly pink for a moment before he replied, "Yeah, I'm worried about them."

_Tch, he's barely thought about them, I can see it in his eyes._ She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're all right. I plan to go looking for them again once I'm fully recovered. I would go now, but I know there's no way Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny would let me."

"Quite right," said the kind but stern voice of Nurse Joy behind them, "and I don't want to hear you discussing it. If Jenny hadn't needed to talk to you while your memories were still fresh I wouldn't have let you leave the Pokemon Center once today. It may not be as good as a hospital when it comes to human care, but it's good enough! Now, it's getting late and I want you both to go to sleep. I'm putting a guard outside both of your rooms so you can't sneak out."

"Come on, you don't have to do that!" said Jacob indignantly.

Nurse Joy placed her hands on her hips and fixed Jacob with a stern glare. "I know you too well, Jacob, nothing you say is going to change my mind. Now off to bed! Aiya will still be here in the morning. There's a guard by the Pokemon Center door as well as the one stationed outside that one," she jerked her head at the infirmary door, "so stop worrying."

Jacob opened his mouth to argue but Aiya cut him off, "I'm flattered you're giving me so much security but I don't think you have to worry. From what Jacob tells me, this place has been as crowded with officers as the police station. Team Rocket wouldn't dare attack."

"You're probably right, but we're not going to take any chances." With that she seized Jacob's upper arm and dragged him off.

Aiya giggled sleepily as she watched him pout then stood up and walked to the bed that had been prepared for her. As an extra precaution she was sleeping in the infirmary rather than in one of the regular trainers' rooms. She didn't mind at all. It would mean she wouldn't have to put up with Jacob being a second night guard. _I sure know how to pick 'em,_ she thought bitterly, _and I'm stuck being the princess he rescued for another week at least. How wonderful. _She sighed heavily then slipped off her shoes and crawled into bed. The lights flicked off as she closed her eyes and she fell quickly into sleep.

----

Aiya opened her eyes, staring into the darkness until her eyes adjusted. The little light that managed to slip through the cracks around the door was just enough to let her see. She rolled over under the blankets, trying to go back to sleep. She hated being up early if she didn't have to be. _But perhaps it's not so early. It's impossible to tell with no windows._

The light leaking into the room was natural sunlight, but it had the early morning look to it. With a little sigh Aiya pushed herself out of bed. She tugged her shoes on then picked up her backpack and walked quietly to the door. She pressed an ear to the door, listening for the guard outside. There was no sound so slowly, carefully, she turned the doorknob and nudged the door open.

"You're up early," grunted a man in an officers' uniform.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize anyone was there. I thought you'd gone to sleep."

The man snorted. "We don't shunt our duties so lightly," he said dryly.

"I didn't mean to imply anything like that." She bowed her head in apology then asked, "Would it be all right if I slipped into the dining area and had some breakfast?"

"Sure," the guard said unconcernedly. He followed Aiya as she walked, not saying a word or showing any sign that he was even aware she was there.

"You're not much of a morning person, are you?"

"No, particularly if I've had no sleep."

"Perfectly understandable."

"Why are you so cheery?"

"No reason."

"Then stop."

"Whatever you say." She smiled a wide smile then sped up and soon was darting around the dining area trying to find food.

"Maybe you should wait until it opens," her irritable shadow said in a bored tone.

"But I'm hungry now. And I can't go out and look for my Pokemon on an empty stomach!"

"You won't be going to look for your Pokemon at all so you might as well wait."

"Well I think differently," said Jacob, walking into the dining area and yawning. "I'm not gonna sit around and do nothing. I owe my Pokemon a lot and I should have been looking for them constantly since they were stolen. I feel bad that I let all my attention go to Aiya." He gave Aiya an apologetic look but she just shrugged.

"There you have it. We're going out to look for our Pokemon."

"Can't let you do that, I got my orders from Officer Jenny."

"Then we'll talk to Officer Jenny! Where is she?"

"Sleeping, I 'cpect, and waking her wouldn't be any use to you two. She'd just be more likely to say no."

The two trainers exchanged glances then sighed. "All right then," said Aiya unhappily, plopping down at a table and staring into space.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind getting us a bit of breakfast? You are the one forcing us to stay here."

"Sorry, can't leave ya alo…"

"Oh come on, we're right here. The kitchen is right there. If we breathed loudly you'd hear us!"

The guard shook his head wearily. "Will it make you stop complaining?" he asked finally.

"Maybe," said Aiya, shrugging.

"Good enough." He turned and trudged into the kitchen. Soon there was the sound of plates clattering on the counter and things being moved around.

Aiya and Jacob looked at each other, then grinned.

----

"For a guard he was pretty easy to get passed," said Jacob cheerily as they made their way down the empty street of Viridian City.

"Give him a little credit," said Aiya fairly, "he was exhausted, and he had to put up with us."

Jacob shrugged before replying, "True enough."

The first thing on their minds was finding something to eat. Both of them were hungry and they soon came to quaint outdoor restaurant that was just opening. The single waitress gave them a rather cold look as they sat down but spoke in a friendly voice when she came to take their order.

"Good morning, welcome to Breezey's, what would you like to drink?"

"Something with a lot of caffeine," said Jacob simply.

"A coffee with extra cream," said Aiya, grinning at Jacob's order.

The waitress scribbled on a notepad and said, "One energy drink and one coffee with extra cream, I'll be back in a moment." She bustled off, dropping her cheerful composure as she entered the building.

"Maybe we should have waited a bit longer. I'm sure they're not happy about having customers so early."

"They shouldn't open so early if they don't want customers."

Aiya merely shrugged and accepted her coffee from the waitress who had just returned. _I can't wait to get out of this city. I'm so tired of Viridian I could scream. I've never been fond of this city and with everything I've had to go through since coming here I doubt I ever will be. Why Giovanni chose this place as headquarters…_ She sipped her coffee, staring at nothing in particular, then a thought struck her.

"Why don't we check out the area where I was being held captive?" she asked Jacob nonchalantly, taking another drink from her cup.

Jacob swallowed a huge gulp of his drink and choked, "Not bad." His eyes watering but his coughing subsided, he continued, "I didn't even think of that. But if there's one place where clues will be it's there! Brilliant."

Aiya smiled over her cup but didn't reply because the waitress returned, holding her notepad ready. "What'll you be having?"

"I'll take the breakfast special," Aiya said slowly, glancing once at the menu in front of her.

"Same," said Jacob, not looking at his.

The waitress wrote down their orders and bustled off again.

----

Aiya and Jacob were nearly finished with their breakfast when Officer Jenny showed up. She gave the pair of them very stern looks as they stared at their plates, avoiding her eyes. "Do you ever think before you act?" she snapped, looking from one to the other.

"Sometimes," Aiya muttered guiltily.

"You've put us in a state, again. We just sent out a force to search the city for you two. You do realize you're still in danger? Especially you, Aiya. Now finish eating and come back to the Pokemon Center at once."

"No," said Jacob defiantly, still not meeting her eyes. "We're here to look for our Pokemon and we're not going to run off and hide anymore. We know there's a risk, but they're at much greater risk."

"Please, Officer Jenny, let us look. You can't stop us, but it'd be a lot easier without you hounding us. We're trainers, we travel. Do you plan to keep us here forever?"

Officer Jenny considered the question, frowning. It was obvious that Aiya had made a very good point. Finally she said, slowly, "All right, you two are allowed to look for your Pokemon. But you're going to be accompanied by three officers. Once you leave Viridian you'll be on your own. That's the best you're going to get."

_That's all I need,_ thought Aiya happily as Jacob let out a sigh of relief. _Now I don't have to wait another week to get out of here. Once we're back at the camp site, getting away will be easy. Jacob may tail me for a bit, though, but I can ditch him easily enough after I'm out of Viridian._ She smiled as she swallowed the last few drops of her coffee and stood up. Things were starting to go her way again.


	10. Chapter 9: The Nightmare Revealed

**Chapter 9: The Nightmare Revealed**

The car they were riding in was much less impressive than the armored van they had used two days earlier, but it was comfortable and fast which made it a much nicer trip out of the city than before. There was also the added bonus of not having to wear armor or put up with any taunts from a nosy driver. On top of that, Aiya was with him. He smiled over at her and she returned the smile. He didn't notice the flash of some other emotion in her crimson eyes.

"So, do you think we'll be able to find anything at that camp?"

"I don't know," Aiya replied thoughtfully, turning her eyes to the car window. "I didn't notice anything that looked like a clue to our Pokemon, but I wasn't really looking either."

Jacob nodded cheerfully. "I think there'll be something there. And, if there's no clue to our Pokemon, we may be able to find some clue to where Team Rocket went. If we can find them we're sure to find our Pokemon."

"I don't want to hear any more talk like that while you're riding with me," said Officer Jenny sternly, looking at them through the rear-view mirror.

"Sorry, Officer Jenny, I'm just exploring all options."

"Explore them after you leave Viridian."

_Why does she have to be so bossy? I haven't done anything to get myself hurt! And I helped get Aiya back._ He sighed and shook his head as Officer Jenny's eyes vanished from the mirror. He looked over at Aiya and saw a small frown playing across her face. _She must feel the same way I do._

The rest of the ride passed in silence. When they were on the very edge of the city, the car slowed then came to a complete stop. Jacob raised his head and looked out the front window. The street was deserted. "Why have we stopped?"

"Stay here," said Officer Jenny sharply, opening the door and getting out.

_You'd think she'd know me by now,_ he thought amusedly, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. He heard a click behind him which meant Aiya was doing the same thing.

It took him only a moment to find what had made Officer Jenny pull over. Two men in black uniforms were leaning against the counter of a small shop. The scene was clearly visible through the large window that displayed items trainers would need. The cashier was looking very nervous as the two men talked to him.

When Officer Jenny entered the shop, the three men looked at her. The two uniformed goons put on cheery faces and greeted her with a wave while the cashier gave her a pleading look behind their backs. Jacob couldn't make out what they were saying but the two goons soon dropped their composure and one of them reached into his pocket. Officer Jenny took a radio from her belt and spoke into it, backing out of the shop.

The two uniformed men followed her out. When they emerged Jacob saw the large red R on their shirts. He attempted to rush forward but was grabbed by someone from behind.

"She's already called for back-up, and if I remember correctly she told you to stay put." It was the other officer that had been riding with them. As he spoke, two police cars pulled up and five officers got out, pulling guns from their holsters.

The two Rocket grunts were holding Pokeballs now. As one they tossed them into the air, revealing two tough looking Raticate. The officers positioned themselves into a defensive formation and Officer Jenny spoke to the Rockets. "Give yourselves up, you're outnumbered!"

"Not as much as you might think," sneered one of the Rockets. From an alleyway not far away came three more Rockets, each accompanied by a Pokemon, two Pidgeotto and one Houndour. The officers changed from defensive to offensive and Officer Jenny moved back from the group of Rockets, drawing her gun out of its holster as she did so.

Jacob took a Pokeball from his belt and held it ready. The officer that had been holding him released him and took out a Pokeball of his own.

"Why don't you use a gun?"

"Many officers prefer to use Pokemon instead of firearms. Fewer casualties."

Jacob nodded, looking around at the other police officers. A few of them had released Pokemon and held no gun. One had both. The scene was still for a moment, then Officer Jenny spoke again.

"You can't win, Team Rocket! Give up now!"

The Rockets only laughed. "Hyper fang!" shouted the two with Raticate as one.

"Protect!" shouted an officer to his Cubone. The little Pokemon scurried forward and created a barrier around itself. The two Raticate attempted to bite through it but the barrier held. They darted back to their trainers, their fangs bared.

Then everything happened at once. The officers and Rockets shouted for their Pokemon to attack at almost exactly the same time. There were small explosions as some of the attacks hit each other. Smoke clouded the air, obscuring the scene for a moment. Shouts still echoed, and Pokemon's battle cries continued to fill the air. Jacob wanted to help but he couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, without warning, a loud male voice shouted, "Hyper Beam!" A blast of energy shot from nowhere. The smoke was blown away by the force of the attack and three of the officers' Pokemon were knocked out instantly. The attack stopped as it made contact with a building on the other side of the street.

Jacob was frozen where he stood, his eyes wide as he stared at the remains of the building. He hoped no one had been inside. Slowly he turned his head back to the place where the Rockets stood. A man with dark blue hair and wearing a high ranking Rocket's uniform stood in front of the five grunts, a cold smile on his face. Beside him was a large and fierce looking Tyranitar. He looked around at the assembled officers, his eyes pausing on Jacob for a moment, the he spoke, "Well, that was much easier than I thought it would be. I would have thought police officers trained their Pokemon better." He let out a soft chuckle.

The officers were apparently too stunned to reply. Jacob noticed one of them, the youngest looking of the group, shaking slightly. Then, as one, the officers with guns raised their weapons to point at the dark haired man.

Movement caught Jacob's attention. He turned his head and blinked as he saw Aiya dart forward. Then his heart skipped a beat as he saw her stop in front of the dark haired man, turn, and put out both arms, shielding him. Her crimson eyes flashed dangerously as she stared at the surprised officers. "I don't care if you play battle the bad guys with those grunts," she said, her voice shaking slightly with anger, "but I'm not going to let you hurt my brother!"

----

Aiya felt anger bubbling within her as she watched the police officers staring at her in shock. Jacob looked as if he'd just been hit in the head with a mallet. His expression was one of the utmost confusion and he looked dazed. She didn't care. Perhaps now he would stop fawning over her.

Geoff nudged her but she ignored him. She didn't care if he thought she was an idiot for protecting him, she wasn't going to risk losing her brother for anything.

Officer Jenny recovered her voice first. She stared at Aiya, an almost hurt expression on her face. At last she said, "Who are you?"

This question seemed to puzzle one or two of the other officers, as well as Jacob, but Aiya ignored them. She allowed a dark grin to spread across her face then spoke in an icy tone, "My name is Aiya Sinel, but most people within Team Rocket know me as the Nightmare."

Jacob's expression turned from confusion to horror. "You…you're with Team Rocket?"

"Took ya long enough to figure it out," she snapped, glaring at him. A couple of the Rockets behind Geoff laughed. Three of them moved forward to stand beside the two elites while the other two moved to the sides of their teammates, watching the police closely.

Jacob looked on the verge of tears. Hesitantly he took a step forward then asked in a shaky voice, "How can a person so good be so bad?"

Aiya looked at him, all kindness erased from her features. "Because they have something to fight for, and they don't care who has to get hurt to make their dreams come true!" She took five Pokeballs from her belt and tossed them into the air. Core, Vulcan, Ryo, Kao, and Kine appeared in flashes of red light. All but Kine looked at the assembled officers and Jacob with looks of dislike on their face. Kine simply looked annoyed.

"When did you get that Alakazam?" asked Geoff, looking curiously at Kine.

"I've had him for ages. He just doesn't like being around Team Rocket so I only let him out when we're not on a mission or in the base."

"Makes sense."

"All right, now it's time for the real battle to begin. Core, Vulcan, Ryo, Kao, you ready?"

'Yes,' all four of them growled together.

There were four more flashes of light as Jacob released his remaining four Pokemon. The look of horror was gone, replaced by one of anger. The other officers who had Pokemon released them. The rest aimed their guns at Aiya, Geoff, and the other Rockets.

"I know you too well to think you'll come quietly," said Officer Jenny, her eyes fixed on Aiya's face, "so I won't bother asking."

"Kind of you," Aiya said coldly. "Now, let's start this battle!"

There was a burst of noise as every officer and Jacob commanded their Pokemon to use an attack. Two Water Guns from Jacob's Starmie and Vaporeon shot towards Vulcan who took off into the sky to avoid them. Ryo then moved forward and used Protect to prevent the attacks from hitting anyone else.

A Machoke attempted a Karate Chop on Core but the Sneasel was too quick. He jumped out of the way and blasted the Machoke with a Shadow Ball. At the same time, Kao fought off a charging Dodrio with a Water Gun/Fury Swipes combination.

Jacob's Seaking was sending blasts of water at Geoff's Tyranitar who was too busy dodging to use a counter attack. A Ponyta, Arcanine, and Growlithe were using Flamethrowers and Embers against the two Raticate, the Houndour, and the Pidgeotto.

There was a mass of confusion as the Pokemon darted around the street and sidewalk, firing attacks and dodging them.

Aiya worked her way away from the confusion and over to Core who was still fighting the Machoke. "Try a Faint Attack/Slash combination!"

'Thanks for the tip,' said Core, darting backwards to prepare the attacks.

Aiya moved away, towards Ryo, but as she neared the Ampharos someone reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Aiya, stop this, leave Team Rocket before it's too late." Jacob's eyes were pleading as he looked at her.

Aiya jerked her arm out of his grip and stared coldly at him. "You're a fool. Do you honestly believe begging will make me leave my brother and my team?"

Jacob stared at her, a look of sadness on his face. "The Nightmare…that's what you really are, isn't it?"

"Yes," she said softly. Then a thought seemed to strike her. "Do you want to know why they call me the Nightmare?" she asked, a cruel smile creeping across her face. "It's because I strike my unsuspecting victims at night. I move so quickly that there's no way for them to defend themselves and by the time they realize I've been around it's too late to do anything about it. I'm long gone, nothing but a bad memory. I don't last long, just long enough to complete my mission, just long enough to cause pain to trainers who experience my presence, then it's over. I'm never seen again but my memory haunts them for long years afterwards. I am a living, breathing, Nightmare."

Jacob backed away from her, fear showing in his eyes. Aiya smirked and darted away towards Ryo and Vulcan. The two Pokemon were still trying to fight off Vaporeon and Starmie. Ryo had nearly finished Starmie off but Vulcan was having more trouble. There was so much commotion going on that his tail was in danger of being hit or trampled and his flame extinguished. He stayed in the air, avoiding attacks rather than using them.

"Use Smokescreen, Vulcan! Then hit Vaporeon with Dragon Rage!"

Vulcan roared and blew a large amount of black smoke out of his mouth. He vanished behind it, leaving Vaporeon firing Water Guns at random, trying to hit him. A blast of greenish energy blasted through the smoke and hit the water type hard. It squealed in pain and flew backwards into the street.

Aiya turned her eyes to the fire-dragon and grinned at him. He grinned back. Aiya opened her mouth to tell him something, but she never got the words out. A loud crack filled the air like thunder. Aiya's eyes widened, a look of shock and pain spreading over her face. Geoff shouted her name, running forward to catch her as she fell, the bullet hole in her chest soaking her white shirt with blood.


	11. Chpter 10: A New Ending A Lost Beginnig

**Chapter 10: A New Ending; A Lost Beginning**

It felt as though time had stopped to Aiya. She saw, as if from a dream, Vulcan let out a roar and soar towards her. She heard a cry from a great distance away in Core's rough voice. Ryo and Kao let out horrified shouts and Kine's voice echoed in her mind, his words impossible to understand. She wasn't aware that she fell; only that she was caught.

Geoff sank to his knees, holding Aiya in his arms. A look of terror obscured his features as he stared at his sister. "Aiya!" He shouted, desperation in his tone.

Her Pokemon surrounded them, all but Core turning to defend their fallen trainer. Core stood there shaking, his eyes shining and his expression one almost of confusion. 'Ai-Aiya?'

Suddenly Kine leapt forward. Aiya, Geoff, and their Pokemon were surrounded by a deep purple light. Then they were floating, unable to breathe but having no need to. A moment later they were in the middle of a forest clearing, the very one that Aiya had left a few days previously.

"Kine…" Aiya's voice was hoarse and distant. Her eyes were glazed and full of pain. She turned her head from the powerful psychic type to Core. "Core, in my bag, find the two Rocketballs."

Core leapt over to her bag which was lying a few feet away on the ground. Kine had obviously teleported it from where it had been in the car. He searched through it and found two black and white Pokeballs marked with the Rocket R. Once he had them he hurried back over to his trainer and held them out. 'Here, Aiya.'

Aiya smiled weakly and nodded. She turned her head to Kine. "Take them back to their trainers, Kine."

Kine hesitated, his expression one of pain and determination. 'Aiya…I…'

"Please, Kine, there's nothing you can do for me now."

Kine's eyes shone for a moment, then he took the two Pokeballs from Core, concentrated for a moment, and vanished.

Aiya closed her eyes, her breathing slow and ragged. She tried to smile at her brother, but only managed a grimace of pain.

----

The first thing Kine heard when he reappeared was crying. He peered through the trees and saw a boy with messy black hair holding his face in his hands. Two other boys and a girl sat around him looking miserable. The girl was rubbing the boy's back and speaking to him in a low, soft voice.

"I know there's nothing I can say…but…I can at least say I'm sure he's all right. I mean…you know…he's gone missing before and things have always worked out in the end."

"Not like this," the boy sobbed, "now like this. Pikachu…" He could say no more.

Kine couldn't take anymore. He looked at the two Pokeballs, feeling the Pokemon inside. He nodded at the one in his right hand then held his head high and stepped into view. _'Ash Ketchum,'_ he said in a slow, psychic voice.

All four humans jumped and looked at him. The boy called Ash had tears still running gently down his face. Finally he spoke. "Al...Alakazam…"

'_My name is Kine, '_said Kine in the same slow voice, '_and I belong to a Pokemon trainer known as Aiya. I believe you knew her as Cynthia.'_ He bowed as a look of anger and confusion spread across the four human's faces. _'Do not judge her too harshly.'_

"Why are you here?" Ash demanded, jumping to his feet.

In reply, Kine held up the black and white Pokeball. Ash stared at it, his expression turning from anger to apprehension mixed with excitement. The Pokeball opened and in a flash of red light the small yellow form of Pikachu appeared. The little mouse shook its head and looked around. His eyes found his trainer and as one they let out a shout and ran towards each other. Pikachu leapt into Ash's arms and Ash buried his face in Pikachu's fur.

"Pikachu…I thought I'd never see you again," he choked, hugging his friend tightly.

'I thought the same,' said Pikachu, hugging his trainer just as tightly.

Kine smiled and bowed again. When Ash looked up, he was gone.

----

Kine stared at the den hidden in the roots of a large tree. He looked down at the second Rocketball then called out softly, 'Mightyena, come out.'

There was a moment's pause, then the large Mightyena mother that had attacked Aiya earlier emerged. She had a depressed look about her. A small pup clambered out of the den behind her, also with the same depressed look his mother had. 'Yes?' She asked, watching the Alakazam warily.

Kine dropped the second black and white Pokeball on the ground. There was a flash of red light and a small Poochyena pup appeared. It let out a cry as it emerged. The Mightyena stood stunned for a moment, then she darted over and nuzzled the pup. 'It's ok, Echi, it's ok, I'm here.' The pup looked up and licked his mother's nose with his tiny tongue. 'Thank you,' said the Mightyena, raising her head to Kine.

Kine bowed then lifted both empty Rocketballs into the air and destroyed them, severing the tie they held to the Pokemon that had been caught with them.

----

Aiya was only dimly aware of Kine's return. The large psychic type walked over to her and knelt down. 'Aiya?' he said softly.

"Thank you, Kine," she said in a barely audible voice.

"How much pain are you in?" asked Geoff, his voice shaking as he fought to control his grief.

"Not much anymore." She managed to smile up at her brother who tried to smile back.

"Why didn't you stay where you were? If you had…"

"Don't lecture me, brother. I would have done it eventually, as I would have for any of you."

Vulcan let out a growling sob. He was slumped on the ground, his head low and his eyes shining as he stared at his trainer.

Aiya turned her smile on him for a moment then she shuddered. She felt darkness clouding her mind, washing away the pain of her wound and making it hard for her to see. "Geoff," she said quietly, "I'm sorry I won't be able to see you reach the top. I'm sorry I won't be able to help you anymore and I'm sorry I won't be there with you when you take Giovanni's place as leader."

"Don't talk like that, Aiya, you'll be fine. It's just a scratch."

Aiya smiled dimly, her eyes glazing over. "I know it is…thank you, everyone," she looked around at her Pokemon. Core reached out a claw and laid it gently on her shoulder. Vulcan nodded, his ears drooping. Ryo nodded too, the gems on his tail and forehead flickering in a forlorn sort of way. A tear fell from Kao's eye as he inclined his head to his trainer. Kine didn't move but his eyes said everything.

"And thank you, Geoff," she looked at her brother, her eyes shining, "thank you, my cause." She smiled as her eyes closed at last, and her struggles for breath ended.

"'Aiya!'" The shout came from every creature in the clearing. Tears filled Core's eyes as he shook Aiya's shoulder in a vain attempt to rouse her. Two tears forced themselves from Geoff's eyes and he held his sister's body tighter in his arms.

Suddenly Kine pushed Geoff away and took Aiya in his arms. He stared at her, a single tear trickling slowly down his pointed face. 'She is not all gone yet,' he said, his eyes beginning to glow.

"What are you going to do?"

'I'm going to use my power to heal her, but,' he paused, his eyes fixing on Geoff, 'I am also going to use them to make her forget.'

"Forget what?"

'Everything. I will leave the knowledge of her name and a few fragments of her early childhood and basic knowledge, as well as us,' he moved his head to indicate Aiya's Pokemon, 'but nothing more. She does not need the life she had. It has done terrible things to her and I think, deep down, she knows this. She will start a new life and, I hope, a better life.'

Geoff did not speak for a moment. Finally he nodded. "I wish her luck. There are many times I wish I had never pulled her into Team Rocket. It just seemed like the only thing I could do." He bowed his head, guilt on his face. Then he raised his head again and said, "Let her start her new life in Johto. She loves that region more than any other. And it is her home, after all."

Kine nodded, his eyes glowing a deep purple. The color spread slowly over Aiya's body, soaking into her skin, healing her. The bullet appeared, teleported out of the wound. It was destroyed instantly. Then the wound began to close, the blood vanished from her shirt, and she took a long, deep breath. Kine looked up at Geoff and inclined his head. I'Goodbye,'/I he said softly.

"Goodbye," said Geoff, nodding.

Then there was a flash of bright purple light and they were gone.


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Jacob Hash sat in the Pokemon Center, staring miserably at his hands. After Aiya had been shot and teleported away the other Rockets fled. The police were still trying to track them down. His Pokemon had still not been recovered, and now he doubted they ever would be. He knew who had taken them, knew that he had been played and tricked from the very beginning, and he was sick at heart because of it.

Suddenly he heard a strange noise and looked up. An Alakazam was hovering in front of him. It was Aiya's. Jacob leapt to his feet, his hands balled into fists, but then he saw what the Alakazam was holding. Two Pokeballs. Somehow he knew without being told that they contained his Pokemon. He took them, several emotions rising up within him at once. Finally he looked at the Alakazam, still hovering in front of him, and asked, "Is she…"

The psychic type looked at him, his face unreadable. Then he bowed his head and said, '_The Nightmare did not survive'._ Before Jacob could fully comprehend what had been said, Alakazam vanished.

----

Geoff made his way back to the Viridian base without trouble. The Fearow he rode sensed his trainer's mixed feelings and did not question him as he usually would have done. Eventually Geoff spoke, giving a few details about the day's events.

'At least she's going to live,' the large bird cawed gently.

"Yes, and I'm glad. I think that what happened is going to be good for her. I just wish I could watch out for her like I have been."

'You will be watching out for her. I know, one way or another, you'll find a way to protect her.'

Geoff smiled. "You're right, Fear, you're right."

----

ONE WEEK LATER

Laughter filled the air followed by the sound of a Pokemon's gleeful cry. Footsteps echoed around the forest combined with the rustling of leaves and the snapping of twigs. A voice called out happily, "You'll never catch me like that!"

'Oh yeah?' shouted another voice excitedly.

There was a rustle and a loud thump then the first voice spoke again, "All right, all right, I give!" There was laughter again, then two figures emerged from the trees onto the hilltop overlooking a beautiful city. A path led from the forest to the city. On the edge of the path, near the forest, was a sign that read, "Ecruteak City, Home of Legends".

The girl smiled at the sign as she reread the words again and again then finally looked at the city again. A light wind picked up, blowing the girl's light blue hair around her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the wind, then opened them again and looked at the Sneasel standing beside her. "Come on, Core, we've finally reached Ecruteak. Now our journey is finally going to begin."

'Yeah!' said the Sneasel happily, lifting a paw into the air.

The girl made a similar gesture, her bright crimson eyes glowing with excitement as she gazed at the deep blue sky. Then she turned and sprinted down the path towards Ecruteak City, Core running along beside her.

**End**

_Credits_

My Cause is © 2007 by Orijin.

Characters Ash, May, Max, Brock, Jessie, James, Meowth, Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and Giovanni are © GAME FREAK, Nintendo, and Satoshi Tajiri 1995-2007.

Pokémon is © GAME FREAK, Nintendo, and Satoshi Tajiri 1995-2007.


End file.
